The DLSU Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD) will focus on research themes that support the mission of the University “to be a leading learner-centered research university, bridging faith and scholarship in the service of society, especially the poor.” This was revealed by newly appointed CBRD Director Dr. Raymund B. Habaradas, who also spelled out the priorities of the Center for academic year 2013-2014, after a series of consultation sessions with faculty members of the different academic departments of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business (RVRCOB).

According to Habaradas, CBRD will take an active role in helping the RVRCOB fulfill its commitments as a signatory of the United Nations – Principles for Responsible Management Education (UN-PRME). “These principles encourage us, among others, to undertake both conceptual and empirical research that will help us understand how businesses create social, environmental and economic value,” he said. CBRD will thus provide support to research programs and activities that address the following themes: responsible management education, ethical business practices, sustainable business practices, social and environmental accounting, socially responsible investing, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, SME development, family business management, and social entrepreneurship. These themes fall under a general theme of “business for the common good”.

UN-PRME signatories like DLSU are also encouraged to “facilitate and support dialogue and debate” among different stakeholders “on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability”. CBRD will help address this goal by actively publishing the works of RVRCOB faculty through the DLSU Business Notes and Briefings, the CBRD Working Papers, and the DLSU Business and Economics Review. It will also hold a series of public forums (lectures and roundtable discussions) that will allow RVRCOB faculty members to engage representatives of industry, government, and other sectors in a dialogue on issues affecting Philippine business.

“We want CBRD to be known not only within the research community but also in policy circles and among various business groups. We want our faculty do research that will not only contribute new knowledge but also truly influence policy and practice,” he said.